Ecco the Dolphin
Ecco the Dolphin is the title hero of a video game series produced by Sega which carries his name. Background Ecco the Dolphin is a bottle nosed dolphin in a future Earth where dolphins are the primary sapient species who possess a rich, and mystic lore. Ecco is distinguished from his fellow Dolphins by a constellation shaped pattern upon his head. Adventurous, loyal, and ever helpful Ecco finds himself on quests to save his pod from alien forces come to harvest the bounty of Earth's oceans. The character was created by Ed Annuziata. Biography Ecco Jr. (1995) Ecco was born on a future Earth long after Humanity, one where Dolphins are the primary sapient species on the planet they share with Orcas, Whales, and other alike marine mammals. He was distinguished from his fellows by the constellation shaped pattern upon his head and became known for how high he could jump out of the water. In his youth he and his Orca friend traveled to Big Blue to hear a story. Ecco the Dolphin (1992) One day while trying to go higher then ever before a great vortex came down and he became caught in the whirl wind around it while the rest of his pod where sucked up by it. When the vortex ended he landed in the ocean, now alone and set about trying to find them. On this way he encounters other pods who inform him that the seas are in chaos with the storm that took Ecco's pod having been felt across the planet- and that he was not alone in a lose. An Orca, his old friend, suggests he should seek out 'Big Blue', a sage and elder Blue Whale who may have answers. Answering questions, and learning information from Key-Glyphs left over by the Ancient Atlanteans Ecco finds Big Blue who informs him that every 500 years Earth experiences these storms. Big Blue directs him to Asterite- the oldest creature on Earth. Solving more puzzles from the ancients Ecco finds Asterite- an ancient supercomputer of near mystical design. The computer says it will aid him, but it requires one of it's processing orbs to do so and the only way to get one is to travel to the past. Locating Atlantis Ecco finds an Atlantean Time Machine and travels 55 million years into the past where he learns to speak with a Pteradon and discovers where to find the orb- Asterite. Ecco goes to request the orb for his own time by Asterite in the past, on an important mission for the Atlanteans will not give him the orb and instead opts to attack Ecco who threatens the machine's mission. Ecco wins and takes the orb, and returns to his own time. The Asterite of Ecco's present is provided the Orb Ecco had taken millions of years ago and forgiving Ecco Asterite informs him that the storm was caused by the Vortex, an alien race that can no longer produce it's own food so they raid Earth's Oceans every 500 years. Asterite informs him that the Orb allows the machine to alter other life forms and that with the power of the orb he can grant Ecco the power to combat the Vortex and end their raids upon the planet. Asterite gives Ecco the ability to create a deadly sonar blast, and to breath both below the waves and above (so he doesn't have to go to the surface for air anymore). Asterite informs him that as the Vortex have left Earth the only way to save his pod is to go back in time to the hour of harvest. Ecco using the time machine travels back to that moment- while his past self flounders in the winds about the vortex Ecco is taken into the ship. The now super powered Ecco confronts the Vortex Queen, and defeating her frees his pod and the other sea life taken by the Vortex. Ecco II: The Tides of Time (1995) Ecco has returned to his peaceful life though now with his powers from Asterite. While exploring some underwater caves (using his power to breath underwater) an Earthquake happens. Suddenly he finds he can no longer breath underwater and races to the surface. His pod informs him that someone has killed Asterite. Lost and unsure what to do Ecco is approached shortly after by a Dophin with unusually long fins. The Dolphin, Trellia informs him that she's a decedent of his and needs to take him to speak with Asterite in the future. In the future Ecco finds out that the sea has a consciousness of it's own, his evolved decedents can fly through helium sacs and telekinisis- among other things. Asterite explains that Ecco is actually in a different time stream then the one he came from, Trellia is a decedent though not of himself but another time stream's Ecco. For when he went back in time to save his pod he split the time stream into two- one a bright Utopian future he now experiences and the other a dead mechanical world. Ecco comes from that dark timeline from which the Vortex Queen, having survived and growing it's brood, is beginning to build up a force to create that dark reality which now attempts to enter the Utopian world to feed upon it (as Earth like the world of the Vortex can no longer produce food for them). Returning to his present Ecco sets about repairing Asterite so his powers can be restored. Afterlocating various orbs scattered by the Vortex Queen across the planet Asterite begins to recover but is unable to do as Ecco requests- the orb needed not being present. The Vortex continue to grow and multiply- stripping Lunar Bay of all sea life. Ambushed by the Vortex Ecco is taken to their dark future where he finds the last orbs and returns to his time to fully repair Asterite. His powers restored Ecco rallies his pod to fight the Vortex in Lunar Bay and destroys the Vortex Queen. Pleased in victory his pod celebrates and Asterite tasks Ecco with destroying the timemachine so the streams of time are never broken. Going to Atlantis he finds a laval stage Vortex Queen (who shares the hive mind memories of the former) trying to reach the machine to save her people from total extinction and the two race for the machine- the larva arriving first and traveling to prehistoric times. There Ecco finds it- afraid- worried- lost- it can't rule over the violent creatures of that era- and hardly anything can it prey upon. It's having to feed on dead matter, and the scraps of the larger life. Ecco and the Larva decide that, if the Vortex can integrate themselves into Earth's ecosystem her people could survive. Faced with the sole objective of survival the larva agrees- and states that such will be it's mission. Ecco then travels into the present to find a new form of life on the planet- Arthropods- the queen having succeeded in becoming one with Earth's ecology. Ecco decides not to destroy the time machine as Asterite wished. Instead Ecco uses the time machine and vanishes into an unknown era. Superpowers *Sonic Blast (Asterite's Orb needs to be active for the power to remain) *Breathing Underwater (Asterite's Orb needs to be active for the power to remain) *Time Travel (through the Atlantean Timemachine) *Temporary Invulnerability (through certain Key-Glyphs left by the Atlanteans) Category:Video Game Heroes Category:Animals Category:Titular Category:Male Category:Science Fantasy Heroes Category:Successful Category:Predators Category:Science Fiction Heroes Category:Protectors Category:Fantasy Heroes Category:Selfless Category:Nurturer